Nkem Chukwumerije, MD, MPH, FACP

President and Executive Medical Director
The Southeast Permanente Medical Group

Nkem Chukwumerije, MD, serves as the president and executive medical director for The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, one of Georgia’s largest multispecialty medical groups with over 800 clinicians caring for more than 325,000 Kaiser Permanente members. Services are delivered through a network of 27 medical offices and specialty centers, as well as 4 contracted hospitals: Emory Decatur Hospital, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Northside Hospital, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

He also serves as executive sponsor for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity for the Permanente Medical Groups.

Dr. Chukwumerije, a hospital medicine physician, received his medical degree from the University of Nigeria. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in New Jersey and a Kennamer Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles. He also holds a certificate in Global Health and an executive master’s degree (MPH) in Healthcare Management and Policy from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. He is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and board-certified in Internal Medicine.

Prior to his role in Georgia, Dr. Chukwumerije served as regional physician director for Utilization Management and physician leader for Care Without Delay in Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California region. In that role, he led a team in defining and executing Care Without Delay — a new vision and strategy to standardize Permanente Medicine practices — across hospitals and the post-acute continuum of care. He also held leadership roles in Kaiser Permanente’s Panorama City medical center in the east San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, including chief of Hospital Medicine, physician director for Inpatient Quality Management, physician lead for Performance Improvement, and area assistant medical director. He is a recipient of several awards from the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, including the Panorama City Medical Center’s Leon I. Cohen Physician Recognition Award, and SCPMG’s Physician Exceptional Contribution Award.

Dr. Chukwumerije is active in the medical community. He previously served as president and chair of the board of directors of the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, where he continues to serve. He also served as president of the University of Nigeria College of Medicine Alumni Association, North America. He is deeply committed to addressing the medical needs of his native country through his continued service to Faith Alive USA and the Isuochi Progressive Union, organizations devoted to providing medical care and support to underserved areas of Nigeria.

Outside the office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 children.